Blower head for the separation of card or paper stock



April 24, 1945.

c. A. BERNARD ET AL 2,374,573

BLOWER HEAD FOR THE SEPARATION OF CARD OR-PAPER STOCK,

Filed'Nov. 9, 1943 2 Sheets-.-Sheet 1 Ewe/43277:;

Cczl Berna/'05 /%Z/}cz//L//- 5. P252 April 24, 1945.

c. A. BERNARD ET AL ,37 BLOWER HEAD FOR THE SEPARATION OF CARD OR PAPER STOCK Filed Nov. 9, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 24, 1945 UNITED STAT.

r a BLOWER HEAD FOR THE SEPARATION or r Cecil AmbroseBernard, West CoburgMelbourne, Victoria, andWilliam Arthur Seymour Pate, U

South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Application November 9, 1943, Serial No. 509,614 r In Australia November 26, 1942 i dlaims. (01. 211525) This invention relates to blower heads for the separation of sheet of paper, card or such like stock from a feed pile so that. each sheet may be individually delivered to a printing machine by suction pads or like devicesmounted upon ,a swinging frame.

.Separation of the sheets is usually achieved by a simple compact blower head located in the front of the feed pile so that a constant blast of air is directed against the front edges of theuppertures of the invention andthe advantagesiarising therefrom will, however, be'more'readily apmostsheets causing a fluttering movement which is intended to separate the topmost sheet-from the other sheets. I

It has been found, however, especially when the paper or like sheets are of a relatively porous nature that such flutteringmovement is insufficient for positive and individual sheet separation, andoften allowsof the suction pads pickingup more than onesheet at a time. If that happens, two or more superposed sheets are simultane ously delivered to the printing cylinder and while clinging together are sometimes taken complete- 1y through the printing machine to thedelivery pile, but with only the top sheet-being printed. This necessitates careful sorting and checking which increases the cost of production. In some cases, thesheet or sheets clinging underneath the top most sheet cause themachine to foul, or are taken to the inking rollers thereby entailing extra work and losttime Zforremoval.

{The present invention aims to provide simple and efficient means whereby such disabilities and defects in operation are eliminated.

. A more specific object is to provide improvements in blower heads ofthe general kind indicated by which the air blast is distributed over a relatively large area or expanse in such manner as tomore definitely and p'ositivelyseparate the individual sheets near the top of the feed pile, so that each sheet may in turn be picked up and i the operation of the invention.

carried away by the suction pads to the printing machine. Another object is to provide mechanical devices preferably in the form of a series of springy fingers so arranged as to contact the edges or edge portions of any underlying sheet preciated from the following description aided by l reference to the accompanying drawings which 7 Figure 5 is a detail showing in side view one. of the springyfingers.

Figured is a detail showingin edge viewone of the springy fingers and a mountingmember therefor insec'tion; Y Referring more particularly to Figure 1;1' indicates the feed pile, the superposed sheets "8 of which are to be ied singly tothe printing section of a machine by suction pads 9 carried-by the hinged or pivoted feeder arms ll. Lying in'the same horizontal plane as the upper sheets of the pile and extending close to and parallel with the front edges thereof are two'hollow arms l2 which are closed at their outerends and connected-at their inner ends, as bya T piece l3,=to the upper end of a pipe Mconnected by way of a valve casing l5 andpipe IT to a sourceof 'air under pressurep l The T piece and the hollow arms of the blower head are provided at longitudinally spaced intervals and at that side facingthe feed pile with air outlet or distributing apertures l8 (Figures 2and 3) which may be inthe form of horizontally elongated slots but are preferably in the form of relatively small diameter drilledholes. Compressed airissuing fromthese apertur sla has suliicient velocity to force apartthe" uppermost sheet or two in the feed pile, not onlyat which may tend to be drawn. upwardly with the topmost sheet and to return such underlying sheet to properposition upon the feed pile ready to be removed by the suction pads at the proper time and in proper order.

The invention-also provides for controlling the pressure of the air blast so that it may be readily varied to suit the particular class or kind'of stock being dealt with at any particular timel The above and various other. objects and res the front edge as isusual with c0nventionalblow er heads,but right through to the back and side edgesthus effecting a preliminary separation of thesheets Five of such air outlet orifices are seen in Figure 3 but it will be understood that a greater or lesser number may be. provided, the primary requirement being that they, should'bejspaced so as to distribute the air blast over 'a substantial part of thearea of the stocksheets...

Encircling, the hollow shins, I? at.

Y l v s table, ntervals areadjustable collars l9 forming g mount thumb screw 28.

ing member for springy fingers 2|, 22 and 23. Each springy flnger may consist of the outer end portion of a helically coiled wire spring 24, as best seen in Figures 5 and 6, an inner coil of which terminates in an offset portion 26 which is inserted into a transverse hole in the respective mounting collar l9. These collars may be secured in any appropriate longitudinally and ciroumferentially adjusted positions to the hollow 1 arms I 2 by thumb screws 21.

The springy fingers are shown in two groups, located at opposite sides of the T piece, and each comprising three fingers of different lengths and angular inclinations-relative to the stock pile. As the sheets from the pile commence to be lifted by the suction pads 9, the leading or front edges raise the free ends of the first fingers 2| which have been lightly touching it. As the sheet continues to rise, the ends of these springs brush lightly across its edge in such a way as to intercept or dislodge any sheet that may be adhering to .the underside of the topmost sheet. The springs 2| then return to their original positions.

'Rising still further the topmost sheet comes into contact with the second fingers 22 which are longer than the-first fingers and more steeply inclined; The action of the fingers 22 is similar to that'of fingers 2| and will generally dislodge any adhering sheets which have passed. the fingers 2 I. As a further precaution, we may provide a third set of ,fingers 23 which are longer and more steeply inclined than the first and second sets. Their function is much the same as the first and second fingers. The three sets of fingers are almost certain to prevent more than one sheet being carried away by the suction pads at any one time. In some cases only two sets of fingers will be found sufiicient.

As'seen in Figure 2, the normal overhang of l the free ends of the fingers in relation to the stock pile decreases upwardly, while the free end of the third finger is slightly curved inwardly. This is the preferred construction and arrangement as it edge of the stock pile at longitudinally spaced 1 intervals to yieldingly contact with the front edges of the sheets as they are raised from the stock pile and thereby to intercept and dislodge any underlying sheet that may tend to rise in 1 clinging relationship with an overlying sheet and seems to assure most efiicient operation but variations are possible without loss of efiiciency.

. The sheets intercepted and separated by the fingers will be maintained in correct registry in relation to the stock pile and will thus be accurately delivered by subsequent actions of the suction pads to the printing machine.

The entire blower head can be vertically adjusted by sliding it up or down the pipe I4 and may be locked in the most desirable position by the .The valve 29 (Figure 2) for controlling the air pressure to the blower head may be of the rotary plug type and be carried by a spindle 3| fitted with an operating handwheel 32, the plug having a port 33 which registers with an air passage 34 in the valve casing when in the full-on position. By turning the handwheel 32 the port in the plug may be brought into a position at a right angle to the ,air passage 34, thus cutting off the passage of the air to the blower head. Intermediate posiclaim as new and desire tov secure by Letters Patent is:

with longitudinally spaced air outlet apertures facingsaid upper sheets of the stock pile, and wherein said supports consist of at least twoseries of collars adapted for adjustable retention to said hollow arms, the springy fingers connected to each series of collars being of different lengths and of different inclinations relatively to the stock pile, the shorter finger or fingers being inclined less steeply than the longer finger. or fingers.

3. A blower head for separating paper .or like sheets from a stock pile to permit their individual delivery to a printing machine or the like, comprising a hollow head, means for delivering air under pressure to said head, arms extending fromopposite sides of the head and positioned in substantially the same horizontal plane as the upper sheets of the pile, said arms being formed with apertures to deliver an air blast to the upper part of the feed pile to separate the upper sheet thereof, supports adjustably mounted on said arms and a coiled wire spring anchored atone end in each support, the opposite end of the spring being extended beyond the support in the direction of the air blast as spring fingers to project over the front edge of the stock pile to yieldingly contact with the front edges of the sheets as they are raised from the stock pile for'feeoling, the spring fingers having relatively difierent lengths and relatively different angles to the plane of the top sheet of the parts.

4. A blower headto separate the upper sheets of a pile of sheets to facilitate independent delivery of the sheets for feeding purposes, comprising a hollow body to direct jets of air under pressure to the edges of the upper sheets of the pile, spacing. members longitudinally adjustable on the hollow body and a spring secured at one endto each member and projected beyond the member above the plane of the jets and inclined with respect to the plane of the upper sheet of the-pile to provide spring fingers to overlie the upper-sheet of the pile and at an upward inclination to the plane of such upper sheet, the relative lengths of pile in the normal positions of the the spring fingers and their upward inclination relative to the pile sheet varying relatively.

5. A construction as defined in claim 4 wherein the spring fingers are arranged in at least two series on the hollow member with the fingers of each series being of relatively different lengths and different angular relations with the plane of the top sheet of the pile. l

6. A construction as defined in claim 4 wherein 7. A construction as defined in claim 4'wherein the spring fingers are arranged in at least two series on the hollow member with the fingers of each series being of relatively different lengths and different angular relations with the plane of the top sheet of thepile, the inclination of each spring finger of a series relative to the plane of the pile sheet increasing relatively as the lengths of the fingers increase.

CECIL AMBROSE BERNARD. WILLIAM ARTHUR SEYMOUR PATE. 

